Singapore: Progress, Protests and Population Woes

Global Risk & Investigations Practice (GRIP)

February 4, 2015

Singapore is renowned for its pro-business policies and strong global competitiveness rankings, which have helped to make it one of the wealthiest nations in the world in terms of GDP per capita. While many look to Singapore as the model for economic and social infrastructure, this is gradually changing as the government faces public pressure and Singaporeans begin to question and challenge national policies.

Dismissed by former Indonesian president B.J. Habibie as a “little red dot” on the map, Singapore has experienced a remarkable growth story which brought it into the ranks of developed nations. This growth has been, and continues to be, steered by the People’s Action Party (“PAP”) but changes are in the works. In recent years, an increasingly critical population has prompted an ongoing dialogue about Singapore’s future, while an economic restructuring program meant to move the economy away from labour-intensive industries has resulted in growing pains from a manpower crunch.